Coaches like state all-class format
Flathead, Whitefish, Libby in Bozeman for volleyball tournament
Among the things that'll drive a coach nuts?
A bomb scare that keeps the Western AA regular season victor out of its gymnasium days before Montana's first-ever, all-under-one-roof volleyball tournament ranks fairly high.
The Flathead High Bravettes (10-2), preparing for today's Class AA state volleyball tournament in Bozeman, were forced from the FHS gym by Monday's bomb threat at Flathead High School.
"I wanted Monday to be a very strong day of practice," Flathead coach Christy Harkins said.
Instead, the Bravettes ended up at Edgerton School.
"Which is a very nice facility and I was very grateful to get in there," Harkins said.
But it wasn't their gym and there was a bit of chaos - missing knee pads and makeshift tape jobs - because of that.
"But (the Bravettes) practiced hard. They did a good job of being focused," the coach said.
Flathead opens the state tournament at 2 p.m. today vs. Great Falls High (11-12), a state play-in winner last week over Billings Senior.
Other local teams in Bozeman are Northwestern A champ Whitefish and runner-up Libby.
Whitefish opens at 4 p.m. versus Eastern A No. 2 Billings Central while the Loggers start at noon against Eastern champ Hardin.
Harkins, Whitefish coach Jackie Fuller and Libby's Cindy Ostrem-Johnston are all looking forward to the all-class format.
"What a great opportunity to promote the sport of volleyball," Fuller said. "(The Bulldogs) are excited to be a part of this. I'm excited to watch the Class B and Class C."
"I was a little concerned about distractions," Ostrem-Johnston said.
She envisioned four courts side by side, but was pleased to see the organizers placed separation between the courts.
"It'll be fun seeing some people I haven't seen in awhile," she added. "But we will have to stay focused on the A volleyball."
Other than the gym snafu, the Bravettes enjoyed the time off.
"We had injuries," Harkins said. "We needed that time to heal and be healthy. We broke skills down a lot, went back to basics in blocking, passing, serving. We really tried to fine tune some skills individual-wise."
But Harkins didn't let the Bravettes scrimmage much.
"The coaches and I thought it was important to keep them hungry, keep them ready to play," she said.
"They have a jump server who is dynamite," Harkins said of the Bison. Stephanie Schaffel served 45 aces during the regular season.
"And they have a great outside hitter (Kari Schilling). Very aggressive, very talented."
Schilling recorded 16 kills, 16 digs and one block in Great Falls' four-game win last Thursday over Senior.
Flathead's plan in the first round today is to stick with what it knows.
Junior middle Kristina Ylinen, 6-foot-2, recorded 75 kills and 5-11 senior Lindsay Bennett was among Class AA's top 10 for much of the season, as well.
"Our strength all season has come from our middle attack. We're going to go with that."
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, spent practice time getting ready for Billings Central - a team Whitefish defeated last year at state.
"They're a good ballclub. They've got a lot of experience. They're a good, solid defensive team," Fuller said.
"They've got three or four solid players with state tournament experience," she added.
Libby, meanwhile, will take on Hardin, a team some coaches have pegged as a Class A tournament favorite.
"I have the utmost respect for their coaches and their program," Ostrem-Johnston said.
"They rely on Kathy Hodges, the 6-0 middle, a lot. We need to slow her down. They serve pretty tough, too," she added.
"So, you better take the basics with you.
"Do the basics well, pass and serve well, minimized the unforced errors and play aggressive. Stay smart," she said.
"It's going to take the whole team stepping up to accomplish our goals."